The company of others
by SeashellStars
Summary: Kurt is trying to survive in a world contaminated with Zombies. He is challenged with grief, loss, violence and mental illness. How does he survive such desperation and how does one boy encourage him to hold on. One shot possible two shot. Warnings death, violence, zombies and mental illness. Not very graphic.


A/N: I've read a couple of these apocalyptic fics and love them, however I'm loving this ship and I need something to get the creative juices flowing. I'm thinking of making this a two shot if people like it, its a little crazy but whatever. Warning; Zombies, death, mental illness! Nothing too graphic. Disclaimer; do not own glee.

Kurt remembered the day it all began. It was around the time the productions for West Side story had begun and he scoffs at the memory of him fretting over not getting the role of Tony and wishes that's all he worried about now. His father came home worried from a conference in DC saying there had been a lot of political unrest in the Capitol and not enough answers to give people and he remembers telling his father not to strain himself. He remembers hugging his father as they hung out in the garage and holds on to that last truly happy time.

The day after that was the fateful day all hell broke loose, a rumour here and there, some mysterious illnesses and an apology from a bio warfare company about a chemical leak? Many deaths were publicised from the large cities despite an obvious attempt to keep them quiet. Then people started disappearing doctors, world leaders, writers, scientists and then one day he came home and his father and Carol were gone. He and Finn ate cheese on toast from a campfire that day because of the power cuts occurring throughout the city and with no help from the emergency services they simply clung to each other for comfort.

The week that followed was even worse than the last, schools and most businesses were closed due to the threat of an unknown disease that had spread throughout the larger towns that was apparently fatal. The two boys rarely heard from their friends because of the threat to stay indoors however this was the time they saw the effects of the disease first hand. The inflicted were finally televised; they travelled in masses, semi conscious and staggering yet violent and in a rage at other times, you could tell the infected from their green tinged skins, black sores and vacant expressions. It would seem those infected suffered a total amnesia effect and mostly had to be detained in prisons due to their blood thirsty nature and there were further rumours of cannibalism.

Following these announcements a frenzy of riots broke out around the world. Thieving, robbery and murder were common, people turned on each other and many towns were becoming deserted. Around this time a story had been published about a people's lottery where a sample of people had gone into hiding in a secret government facility although no officials confirmed this at the time but Kurt prayed that this is where Burt and Carol were and he spent his worst days living off this hope.

Stores had emptied, phone lines went down, streets emptied and after staying indoors for days without hearing from their friends Kurt and Finn decided it was time to leave. They took some necessities, food, matches, rope, a water canister, their fathers shotgun and Finn had the idea to bury their valuables in the garden like treasure for safe keeping. They stood side by side outside their house once morning dawned, backpacks filled, in jeans, T-shirts, hoodies and sneakers taking one last look at their house before setting off with the sole intention of surviving and perhaps to find their parents one day.

Jumping in Finns old truck they started with Rachel's house because it was closest, as they pulled up to Rachel's town house looking slightly worse for wear with smashed windows after obviously being looted. Finn looked tearful, squeezing his brothers shoulder they entered the house pushing the front door aside which was mostly on its hinges. It was silent save for a sobbing sound coming from the basement. Rachel lay at the bottom of the stairs curled tightly into a ball tears streaming her face, she screamed when she heard their footsteps stopping abruptly at the sight of them launching herself at them clutching tightly as if they weren't actually there. Here two dads lay upstairs dead after shooting one another after finding out they'd been infected, Rachel could understand the sacrifice but not the grief behind it. The three huddled against each other that night after burying those two brave men with the hope the others were out there. Finn whispered sweet nothings to Rachel in an attempt to soothe her and Kurt's heart ached with a longing for Blaine.

Mercedes house was a block away however as the truck roared around the corner no speed would be fast enough. The house was ablaze and Kurt felt himself falling to the ground in agony at the loss of his best friend. Noah Puckerman sat on the grass flicking the flame on his lighter on and off repeating the words it wasn't her, over and over. The trio could barely absorb what had happened before pushing Puckerman into the truck never having seen him so void. Resting for the night in an abandoned shop stocking what supplies were left between them, Kurt held Puck's hand that night as they slept side by side as a source of comfort praying tomorrow would bear better news.

They were unsure what do the next day but eventually decided to make the longer trip downtown to Tina's apartment as there was a chance Mike may be with her. The trip downtown made them nervous as the atmosphere seemed to darken, Rachel shook with fear and Puck kept talking to himself. They quickly exited the vehicle, Rachel was in favor of staying but no one wanted to separate. The elevator music and the flickering lights only heightened their sense of fear. The random bodies littering the hallway encouraged Rachel to stagger then run past them causing Finn to chase after her separating the group. Puck cursed loudly as they made their way to Tina's door. The lights were off and appeared as if no one was home. There was a faint creaking however coming from one of the rooms, a short figure ran towards them clutching a knife and candle however stopped all of a sudden when the figure was almost in front of them. The light from the candle revealed a frazzled looking Tina who looked them over hopefully before embracing them told them Mike was dead, grabbed by some of those things as they tried to flee the apartment he had sacrificed himself to save Tina. She held it together as she recounted the tale and Kurt thought shed never looked stronger. He gulped back tears as he thought how Mercedes would never be the new queen of soul and how Mike would never dance professionally.

Heading downstairs they ran into a group of those things and Kurt found himself acting instinctively grabbing a fire extinguisher to distract them and shouting at Puck to Grab Tina and run. Watching them flee the scene, terror etched on their faces, Kurt grabbed a lose metal rod from a safety gate and battered his way through unscathed before jumping through a window and down a fire escape landing in a skip. He breathed unsteadily for a few minutes before he felt an arm grab him and tug him out the skip. Shrieking and struggling he was met by piercing green eyes that belonged to none other than Sebastian Smythe.

Sebastian gazed at him before pulling him into a bone crunching hug before swearing he had never been so happy to see his beautiful lady face especially after that bad ass display. Sebastian had been hiding out downtown for several days now after Dalton became populated by those things. Shedding a few tears for the Warblers although he was certain a few like him had made it out alive, although he had no idea about Blaine. At that point there was still hope for his boyfriend suddenly they were alerted to screaming tires as Finn slammed the truck to a screeching halt shrieking at them to jump in the bed.

They drove out of town until it was fairly quiet, they had been relieved that they were all still together, Rachel had sobbed out an apology and they all said a silent farewell to Mike. Kurt had recounted his adventure and everyone had deemed him a worthy hero, that night they huddled together under too few blankets. Rachel and Finn clutching each other tightly, Puck soothing a grieving Tina. Sebastian and Kurt shared the remaining blanket sidling close to one another for extra warmth never dreaming they could be each others source of comfort. Sebastian faced him and kissed his lips once thanking him for letting him stay. Kurt felt a warm spark ignite from within him however feeling like he'd betrayed Blaine stung.

Morning came too quickly before anyone felt properly rested especially after sleeping rough. They ate cold beans from tins before picking each other up, Rachel and Tina seemed stronger today, Puck seemed more himself as did Sebastian cracking a few inappropriate jokes, there seemed like a small beacon of hope today. They discussed finding the others, the unholy trinity, Blaine, Artie, Rory, Sam, Sugar, Beth, Mr Schue. But they all agreed that it was too dangerous, that they might not even be there, they might have fled like Puck's family or been taken by those things like Mike or Tina's family. Puck kicked the truck hard before sitting in the bed by himself, whilst Kurt kept his head down fighting tears. Sebastian felt the need to comfort him unsure why assuming it was because they had a connection whilst he felt like strangers to the others and that he was extremely grateful that he wasn't alone at a time like this.  
They had decided they should find some kind of safe house, somewhere strong that hadn't been battered and that's when they came across Mc Kinley, they hadn't even been aware they'd been driving close. Yet there it was looking like a reinforced prison with most of the windows boarded up and barb wire fencing scaling the usual chain link. Parking the truck the six gathered their meagre supplies whilst Puck picked the padlock keeping them out, they hurried towards the entrance of their school only to be faced by the barrel of a shotgun being wielded by none other than Becky Jackson. After staring at them intently she ushered them inside slamming the heavy door behind them.

They were led to the auditorium which had scattered camp beds amongst other supplies. There was a chorus of shouts in the large open space, people calling their names. Brittany barrelled herself at Kurt, hugging him tightly, peppering him with kisses and telling him that her dolphin had swam home. Santana kissed his cheek whispering in a very un Santana like way that she was glad he was okay. Artie then wheeled forward and Tina was gripped in a vice tight hug Kurt wondered now that Mike was gone what would happen there, no one would blame them in times like these for seeking some comfort. Quinn then rushed forward tears streaming down her face and a small blonde child in her arms, Puck burst into tears on the spot when he saw them, Kurt doesn't know if he's ever seen something so heart warming, they were a complete family. Rachel pointed across the hall where Mr Schuester had entered the hall looking very scruffy and in a state of shock as he spotted the six new arrivals. Coach Sylvester followed him little emotion showing as she spotted the group she made eye contact with Kurt and Kurt thought he saw a small smile.

The group sat in a circle that night swapping stories, grieving the fallen and being thankful for who was still there. Coach Sue had claimed she had seen it all coming, Mr Schue had lost Ms Pillsbury to the illness, Quinn had gone to Shelby's house only to find Beth there all alone. Artie had some news for them that Rory had gone back to Ireland a little while ago, Sugar had disappeared probably in an expensive safe house however most important of all he thinks Blaine and Sam are together because last he heard before communications went down they were. Kurt doesn't want to hope but he can't help but smile a little, perhaps Blaine and Sam will find them.

Days passed in the school or it might have been weeks, Mr Schue adopted a parental role, the others had seen the change in him now that the group was larger he had more to concentrate on like looking after his kids and he was thankful most of them were still here. Sue was the real power behind the operation though, setting a rota for cleaning, watchmen, handing out rations, training the group in self defence. Sebastian had opened up to the group more, becoming particularly friendly with Santana and Puck and he was quite good with Beth but he was still closest to Kurt and Kurt found that Sebastian's friendship made him happy. In the absence of Blaine they had nothing to fight over, they still teased each other but mostly it made each other laugh and since they both could speak French they could have private conversations when one was feeling unhappy. Kurt found it surprisingly easy to talk about serious things perhaps because Sebastian had apologised for his misdeeds and had opened up to him first about his parents deserting him amongst other things. They became work partners since most people were coupled up already, holding watches and cleaning together which meant they slept at the same times. Kurt found that Sebastian was very physical in his actions with his friends, holding Kurt's hand when they were queuing, cuddling him in his sleep or just simple touches when they were together at first Kurt thought it strange but after awhile it was just Sebastian. Often they would hear gun shots and screaming and Kurt felt like he needed that comfort.

After a few months their nearby supplies began to thin and they decided it was time for a raid, Finn, Puck, Mr Schue and Kurt had volunteered to go being the strongest. Sebastian had grabbed Kurt's arm and begged him not to go with tears in his eyes before Kurt had hugged him and told him not to worry that's when Sebastian had taken Puck's place stating he shouldn't go because he had a family. The four of them said their goodbyes well aware it could be there last as they climbed in Finn's old truck, Sebastian clutched Kurt's hand tightly and Kurt told him he was brave for taking Puck's place, Sebastian smiled and said he wasn't letting Kurt having all the glory.

They decided to travel upwards to the nicer parts of town because there was more of a chance to be supplies there, Kurt bit his lip thinking how close they were to Blaine's house. They parked outside a large supermarket each clutching some sort of weapon nervously as they pried the doors open. As they entered the dark eerily quiet shop they split into pairs, Sebastian and Kurt raided the medicinal counter, toiletries and DIY section whilst the others looked for food and water. Sebastian and Kurt pushed the trolley they had filled searching for anything else that may be useful. Suddenly they heard a scream that probably belonged to Finn, Kurt pushed the trolley aside grabbing his shovel and running in the direction of the sound Sebastian trailing him. What he saw terrified him Mr Schue was pinned to the floor by two of those Zombie like creatures whilst Finn had climbed a counter to escape six others. Kurt whacked the one clawing at Finn's foot with the shovel taking its head clean off, Kurt didn't stop to think how horrible it was. Sebastian had caught up with him and shot his pistol at the one pinning Mr Schue causing the other to jump up at him, Schue had staggered off the floor eyes wide in fear whilst Kurt smacked the other monster that had attempted to attack Sebastian. Five of the creatures were still trying to get to Finn so Kurt attempted to get their attention by shouting at them. They turned on him and Sebastian and the boys sprinted up the aisles becoming separated, three chased Kurt whilst the other two went after Sebastian, Kurt heard a few shots and hoped Sebastian had got them but he had no time to slow down to check. He reached the emergency entrance shoving it open, the wind hitting him as it opened up onto a large strip of road.

He felt the creatures presence getting closer as he stumbled on the sidewalk and fell into the middle of the road, one had disappeared however two were still gaining on him with blood thirsty expressions and arms swinging like wild animals with claws. Kurt crawled backwards, his foot felt twisted and sore and he knew in that second there was no hope of out running them, pulling his hands to his face he waited for the inevitable. He heard the rumble of a large vehicle before he saw a huge jeep swerve and knock the creatures several feet in the air before he heard shouting and someone grab him pulling him roughly into the vehicle knocking him unconscious as he hit his head on the door.

Kurt felt himself coming round, his head thumped and his foot burned with pain. He sat up quickly he was led on some blankets in a dark room with peeling wallpaper and a dusty smell. The door swung back revealing a grinning boy with blonde scraggly hair. It was Sam Evans with a hunk of bread and a bottle of water in his hands, Kurt limped to his feet and hugged the boy with all his strength. They sat in the dark room side by side, Sam spoke first whilst Kurt ate his bread and gulped his water. Kurt learnt with great sadness that his house was empty when Sam had returned to Kentucky so he had no idea what had happened to his family so he had returned to Ohio in the hopes of finding his friends that's when he had run into some Warblers and decided to stay with them and they had been patrolling Westerville ever since. Kurt had learnt that Sam was travelling with Nick, Jeff, Wes and Blaine however he said Blaine's name with a strange expression Sam noticed Kurt's reaction and warned the other boy that Blaine had changed since Kurt had seen him. Kurt wanted to ask more but was interrupted when Sam asked about the other New Directions, he told him about Mercedes and saw some tears streak his face but a smile formed once more when he told him about how many of the others were still alive. Kurt's story led them up to earlier that day in the supermarket and Sam tried to reassure him that the others were still alive.

Sometime later Kurt felt well enough to leave the room and greet the others fearful of seeing the change in Blaine. They entered a small lounge and noticed three boys playing cards on a broken sofa, he smiled at Jeff who had his arm round Nicks waist and Wes who was smoking a cigarette with a bandana tied round his head. They hugged Kurt in turn expressing their happiness that he was still alive and Nick apologised for accidentally knocking him out. The door opened revealing a dark shadow upon closer inspection it was in fact Blaine Anderson. Blaine was pale with dark circles under his eyes, his hair was patchy and he was extremely thin, his clothes were torn and dirty and his arms were drawn around him protectively, he was a shadow of his former self. The others sighed before pulling Blaine onto the sofa, Jeff began spooning him some soup whilst Nick combed his hair. Kurt felt in shock as he watched Blaine so helpless, when the soup was finished Blaine pushed Jeff harshly and tried to claw at Nick. Blaine curled into the foetal position and closed his eyes rocking slightly, Wes whispered about how Blaine had snapped one day and had become this unresponsive mess and that it was getting harder and harder to take care of him.

Blaine sat up quickly when Kurt spoke, opening his eyes wide and staring at the boy as if he was noticing him for the first time. He called Kurt's name in a croaky voice which made the others gasp because they hadn't heard it in ages, Kurt sank to his level and Blaine grabbed him roughly sinking his nails into Kurt's skin, he shooed the others away and lay with Blaine until the troubled boy had fallen asleep. Kurt felt protective and responsible for the boy in front of him but realised he harboured no more romantic feelings for him and what he had become. Wes explained his theory that Blaine had developed some sort of mental illness that made him act similar to those things because of his exposure to them even though he was not infected. Wes, Nick and Jeff wanted to move on they were intent on finding that rumoured government facility, however although they loved Blaine it would be too dangerous to take him with them but they understood if Kurt would not take him either. Kurt could not leave Blaine to die here so decided he would take him and Sam decided to come with them because he felt a stronger alliance with Kurt. Sharing a tearful goodbye, many thank you's and a promise to try and contact each other when this was all over.

Sam drove them in a smaller jeep whilst Kurt sat in the back with Blaine who would occasionally bite and growl at him although sometimes he would lie still and stare at Kurt and Kurt hoped one day Blaine might get better. It was nightfall by the time they'd arrived at McKinley, the gates were opened by a weary looking Finn, who tried to smile when he noticed Sam driving but there was still a hint of sadness about him. When Kurt hopped out the passenger side careful of his bad foot Finn squealed and lifted Kurt in the air, crying about thinking he'd been dead. It was at that moment that Blaine climbed out of the car and ran at Finn clawing at his neck, Kurt pulled him back by his clothes shaking him fiercely which calmed him slightly as he stayed by Kurt's side scratching his arm making Kurt wince but pulling him along anyway.  
Entering the hall he noticed most of the group huddled together and he couldn't help but notice the absence of Artie and Mr Schue. Brittany was the first to notice them running towards them for a hug, Kurt shrieked at her to stay back fearing Blaine might hurt her, the others then noticed the trios arrival. Sebastian then ran forward wrenching Kurt from Blaine's side whilst Santana screamed at him that they could not handle this, not again. Finn chose that moment to speak and Kurt had never been so thankful for his brash language as he explained Blaine was just crazy not infected. That's when Kurt learnt that Mr Schue had been infected on the raid, had failed to tell anyone and then had attacked Artie who had shot them both to protect the others. Kurt sobbed on Sebastian's arm because he didn't know if he could take anymore sadness. Blaine stared at Kurt, his eyes wide and fearful and Sebastian could see Blaine was still in there somewhere but still the thing in front of them was dangerous.

That night once everyone every lay asleep physically exhausted but mentally a little more hopeful after Kurt and Sam's return, Sebastian led awake tossing and turning. He watched Kurt sleeping usually he would be sleeping beside the boy perhaps thats why he couldn't sleep. He could make out Blaine's form nearby hands bound together as a cautionary procedure. Sebastian stood up slowly creeping down next to Kurt, the other boy turned at the sound, his eyes were stretched wide open staring fearfully. Sebastian hugged him once before explaining he couldn't sleep, Kurt nodded once shivering a little. Sebastian clasped their hands together before telling him that when he couldn't find Kurt at the supermarket it was the single most terrifying moment in his life, Kurt looked him straight in the eye and asked him why. Sebastian said when he thought he had lost him for good it was as if there was nothing left to live for because Kurt was the only thing he truly cared about now. Sebastian didn't know why he felt drawn to Kurt but he knew he would die to protect him. Kurt moved forward and brushed his lips against Sebastian's as a few tears dripped down his cheeks, nothing was perfect, he didn't know what would happen with Blaine, he didn't know how many more loved ones he would lose, he didn't know if there was a world still out there to fight for but he knew as long as he still had this boy he would have hope and he would never be alone.


End file.
